IGP Tunji Disu orders police nationwide to treat mob violence as homicide, warning Nigerians against jungle justice and unlawful killings.
The Inspector-General of Police, Tunji Disu, has directed Commissioners of Police in all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory to classify every case of mob violence as homicide and investigate such incidents with the seriousness accorded to other unlawful killings.
The directive is part of a renewed warning against jungle justice, which has continued to claim lives across different parts of Nigeria.
Disu maintained that members of the public have no legal authority to arrest, judge, convict or execute individuals accused of committing crimes.
The IGP made his position known in a video posted on the official X handle of the Nigeria Police Force.
He warned that allegations circulating within communities or on social media cannot be used as a substitute for proper police investigation and court proceedings.
According to him, Nigeria is governed by the rule of law, meaning that every person accused of an offence must be allowed to face the appropriate legal process before any punishment can be imposed.
“Jungle justice is murder. It is not justice. It is a crime, and the Nigeria Police Force will treat it as such,” Disu said.
He stressed that neither a community, vigilante organisation, association nor any other group has the constitutional power to determine that a suspect is guilty and subsequently punish the person.
The police chief particularly warned against the growing practice of relying on rumours, accusations, photographs and videos shared online when determining whether someone has committed a crime.
He explained that such materials may form part of information available to investigators, but they cannot replace professional investigation or the judicial process.
Disu also drew attention to the constitutional rights of suspects, noting that the 1999 Constitution, as amended, guarantees every Nigerian the right to life, dignity and fair hearing.
He referenced Sections 33, 34 and 36 of the Constitution, stressing that these protections apply even when a person is suspected of committing a serious offence.
The IGP said mob action effectively denies victims the opportunity to explain themselves or defend the allegations made against them.
In some cases, he noted, people have been attacked or killed before the police could establish whether the accusations against them were true.
He further reminded Nigerians that the law operates on the principle that a person remains innocent until proven guilty by a competent court.
“Suspicion, allegations, photographs or videos cannot replace proper investigation and judicial proceedings,” he said.
Disu warned that Nigerians who participate in extrajudicial killings should not assume that they would escape prosecution because the victim was suspected of being a criminal.
According to him, those responsible for unlawful killings could face murder or manslaughter charges, depending on the circumstances of each case.
He cited relevant provisions of the Criminal Code and Penal Code, noting that the law provides severe punishment for people who unlawfully take another person’s life.
The IGP also made it clear that responsibility for mob violence would not stop with the person who physically attacks a victim.
He said individuals who organise, encourage, incite or provide support for such attacks could also be investigated and prosecuted if evidence establishes their involvement.
This, according to the police chief, means that people who help mobilise a crowd, encourage violence or participate in planning an attack could face criminal consequences even where they did not personally inflict the fatal injuries.
Disu’s warning comes against the backdrop of several mob-related killings in Nigeria, some of which began with allegations that were never properly investigated.
He specifically recalled the March 2025 killing of 16 travellers in Uromi, Edo State, describing the incident as a painful reminder of the dangers associated with taking the law into the hands of individuals or groups.
He also referred to other incidents in which people were attacked over accusations ranging from theft to criminal activities and alleged blasphemy or ritual-related offences.
Students accused of stealing mobile phones, travellers mistaken for criminals and young people targeted over unverified claims are among the categories of victims he said have suffered from mob action.
The IGP said the police would no longer treat such incidents simply as ordinary cases of public disorder.
“I have directed all Commissioners of Police across the 36 states of Nigeria and the FCT to treat every case of mob action as homicide, and they should investigate it like that,” he stated.
He further directed that investigations should include forensic and intelligence-based follow-up to establish how the incident occurred and identify those responsible.
According to Disu, investigators are expected to go beyond arresting only those identified as leaders of a mob. Anyone found to have participated in the attack would be considered for prosecution based on the available evidence.
“Full forensic and intelligence follow-up, no exception. We will identify, listen, arrest and prosecute not just the ringleaders but everybody available, everybody we can identify who took part in it,” he said.
The directive places a greater responsibility on police commanders across the country to ensure that mob killings receive proper investigative attention.
It also serves as a warning to members of the public who may be tempted to participate in crowd attacks following accusations made within their communities or online.
Rather than taking suspected offenders into their own hands, the police are urging citizens to report criminal allegations to law enforcement agencies so that suspects can be investigated and, where necessary, prosecuted before a competent court.
The IGP’s position is that the fight against crime cannot be separated from respect for the law.
While citizens have a responsibility to provide useful information to security agencies, they cannot assume the powers of the police, prosecutors and courts.
The Nigeria Police Force is therefore seeking to discourage a cycle in which suspicion quickly turns into violence and, ultimately, the death of people who may not have been guilty of the accusations levelled against them.
Disu’s directive reinforces the position that punishment for crime must come through lawful judicial processes and not through mob action.
With Commissioners of Police across the country now directed to treat mob violence as homicide, those involved in organising, encouraging or carrying out such attacks could face serious criminal investigations.
The police chief urged Nigerians to reject jungle justice and allow security agencies and the courts to determine who is guilty or innocent, stressing that no accusation gives any individual or group the right to unlawfully take another person’s life.
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